Comb cleaning machine



Jan. 22, 1935. E. J. cHARRoN Er AL COMB CLEANING MACHINE -5 Sheets-S-het 1 Filed June 27. 1933 llllllllllllll..

Jan. 22, 1935. E, J. cHARRoN ET A1.

COMBv CLEANING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToRg,

ATTOR N EY 00MB CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 27, 1955 5 sheets-sheet` s 'n u S a Q Edward rf 022 arrow L//ZZ/z'fe @barrow mveNToRs ATTORNEY Jan'. 22, 1935.` E. J. cHARRoN r-:r AL

COMB CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 27, 1953 Fclwcprc?, eZ harran/ 6I'- fmfmgym BY emu/y.

.In. 22, 1935. E. J. cHARoN ET AL COMB CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 27. 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Edward Jah/6177070 Lj/ZZ/i/e @har lNvaNToRs ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES MB CLEANING MACHINE Edward J. Charron and Lillie e. Charron, Niagara Falls, N. Y.

Application June 27, 1933, Serial No. 677,922 8 Claims.v (Cl. 15-139) The object of the invention is to provide a machine for cleaning combs in which the comb isk first subjected to the operation of a cleaning brush to dislodge all foreign matter from between.

tendant may readily place a second comb in position; to provide a comb cleaning mechanism in which the comb is maintained in the zone of the cleaning brushes for a xed period of time prior to the fiuid cleansing operation; to provide a construction in which take-up for wear on the clean- 20 ing brushes may be eiected, so that the latter may be meful for the full life ofthe bristles thereof and generally to provide a comb cleaning machine which, for the number of operations it is designed to carry out, is of comparatively simple 25 form and susceptible of cheap manufacture.

With this object in view, the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings but to which embodi- 30 ment the invention is not to be restricted. Continued use in practice may dictate certain changes or alterations and the right is claimed to make any which fall within the scope of the annexed claims. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an encl elevational view, partly broken away, of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view showing 40 parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a top plan view partly broken away.

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views on the planes indicated by the lines 4 4 and 5-5 reu spectively of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a detail view, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing the adjustment of one of the brush spindles.

Figure 7 is a sectional View of the comb frame drive gear. y 00 The invention comprises the rotary brushes 10 and 11 mounted for rotary movement in substantially peripheral contact at the open upper end of a fluid container 12 which'is designed to receive a cleansing fluid of water, or any other acceptable fluid by which a comb may be cleaned.

The spindles of the brushes are mounted in bearings in the end plate of a frame 14 on which the container is mounted, the spindles being provided with the miter gears 15 meshing with the miter gears` 16 which are carried bybut disposed in re- 5 verse position on the main shaft 17, the latter carrying a worm gear 18, the hub of which iS provided with a clutch element 19 engageable with a clutch element 20 keyed to the drive shaft 17, so that it may be axially but not angularly 1'0 movable thereon. A compression spring 21 is interposed between the two clutch elements and tends normally to keep them disengaged. The worm gear 18 oats on the drive shaft 17, so that rotary movement will not be imparted to the lat- 15 ter except when the clutch elements are engaged. The worm gear ris driven by a motor 22 on whose shaft is mounted a worm 23 in mesh with the worm` gear 18. rI'he clutch member 17 is moved into engagement with the clutch member 19 by 20 means of a hand lever 24 pivotally mounted on the frame as indicated at 25 and having a pin and slot connection 26 with the clutch element 21. There is also connected with the hand lever 24 a latch bar 27, this latch bar havinga pinand 25 slot connection 28 with the lever and a slide bearing in the frame 14, being provided with a pin 29 slidable in the slot 30 in the frame. The latch l'lever has its free end formed with a tooth 31 having an adjacent inclined nose 32, so that when 30 the lever is rocked, the latch bar may depress a companion latch bar 33 of which the upperend 34 is formed with an inclined nose. The latch bar is mounted vertically in the frame 14 in a suitable slide bearing and is yieldingly held in ele- 35 vated position by a spring 35. It has a laterally extending arm 36 formed with an upturned abut- 'Vment 37 against which' a cam V38 may engage to eifect depression of the latch member.

The cam 38 is mounted for rotary movement and on each 40 revolution will engage the abutment 37, depressing the latch member 33 to release its nose from engagement with the teeth 3 1 of the latch bar 27. When the lever 24 is rocked to engage the clutch members, the two latch members are engaged and when the latch member 33 is depressed by the operation of the cam 38, the clutch members are released by the operation of the spring 21.

The comb carrying frame 39 is mounted on the mainframe for reciprocatory movement thereon and this comb carrying frame moves in a plane transverse to the plane of the axes of the brushes 10 and 11. The comb carrying frame is mounted at the upper ends of rack bars 40 slidably mounted in appropriate slide bearings' in the 55 groove in the saddle bar.

motor 22 has been startedthel lever shifting operation engaging the clutch members 19 vand 20, so that a driving connection is effected between the motor and the shaft 17. The engagement of the clutch members is maintained by the operative` connection effected between the latch bars 27 and 33. With the motor in operation, the brushes are rotated.` And the shaft 5,7 is also put in motion by reason of its driving connection with theshaft 17 consisting of the pinion 60 and gears 61 and 62. By reason of being in mesh with the gear 61 which is xedly connected with the shaft 57, the rotationof the pinion 60 effects rotation of the shaft 57 which, by reason of carrying the eccentrics, rotates the latter and imparts rocking movement to the gear sectors 49, so that the comb carrying rack is lowered by reason of the sector gears meshing with the rack bars 40. The comb carrying frame is thus moved toward the rotating brushes and when the contained comb passes between the brushes, it is subjected to the cleaning action of the same. But in this position of the comb carrying frame the untoothed Zone 71 of the gear 61 faces the pinion 60, so that no movement may be imparted to the shaft 57 at this time. But the pinion 60 is in mesh with the gear 62 and that gear continues to rotate against the friction imposed by the band 66. The' shaft 57, however, is restrained from movement by the operation of its friction band 68. Consequently, the gear 62 alone moves and it may move independent of the other gear by reason of the pin and slot connection between the two. Since the pin 63 is fixed in the gear 61, the gear 62 moves with reference to the pin, traversing the Slot 64 until the remote end of the slot is reached,

vwhen no further relative movement of the gears 61 and 62 is possible, when the gear 61 follows the gear 62 until the untoothed zone 7l passes beyond the range of the pinion 60 and the latter again engages the teeth of the gear 61, again taking up the driving of the shaft 57; During the interval that the pin 63 traverses the slot 64, the comb carrying frame is at resil with the comb between the cleaning brushes, but when the pin 63 reaches the opposite end of the slot 64, the comb carrying frame again begins to move by reason of the sector gears 49 having been put in motion because of the shaft 57 having been again rotated. The comb carrying frame is thus continued downwardly, immersing the comb in the contents of the fluid container. `The full throw of the eccentrics has at this time been accomplished and on the continued rotation of the shaft 57, a reverse oscillation is imparted tothe sector gears with the `result that the rack is elevated and with it the comb carrying frame. After the stopping of the comb carrying frame that results in the relative movement of the gears 61 and 62, it is necessary to re-establish their former positions, since the position of the pin 63 in the slot 64 has been changed. When movement of the i comb carrying frame is resumed, the untoothed zone 72 of the gear 62 reaches the pinion 60, so that no movement to it may then be imparted by the pinion. But the shaft 57 continues to move and the gear 62 is restrained by the friction bearing 66. Thus opposite movement than previously of the pin 63 in the slot 64 takes place and the pin is advanced to that end of the slot in which it originally rested, whereupon the gear 62 partakes of the driving movement imparted to the shaft 57, until the pinion again reaches theteethof the gear. I

On the upward movement of the comb carrying frame by reason of the reversal in the oscillation of the sector gears, the comb is again passed through the brushes but this time the frame continues upwardly without stopping until it reaches its uppermostpositionwhere the frame is tant, the actuating bar 77 of the releasing arms 73 is in a position to engage the tail portions '7,8 of the releasing arms, so that the nose, portions of the releasing arms are depressed, depressing the saddle bar 41 from engagement with the. ends of the comb teeth, when the lateral pressureprovided by the kicko1fmember 43 results inthe comb being cast into the chute, when it drops onto the plate 81 ,and is passed to the screen 83 after having beencast onto the plate 82 and from the'latter onto the screen, Where it is dried by the action of the warm air provided by the blower in the casing 86. f

After the bar 77 has depressed the release arms 73 and the comb has been released, the cam 38, which, because of being carried by the hub of the gear y61, is rotated by the shaft 57, is in a position to engage the abutment or nose 37 of the latch bar 34, so that the latter is depressed and the latch bar 27 released, thus permitting the spring 21 to function and disengage the clutch element 26 from the clutch element'21, so that the whole mechanism, with the exception of the driving motor 22, is brought to rest.

A new comb is then inserted in the comb carrying member, when the same cycle of operations will be repeated after the lever 24 has been rocked to 1.fe-engage the clutch elements and to interlock the two latch members 27 and `34.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A comb cleaning machine comprising crosssectionally circuiar brushes mounted for rotary movement in substantially peripheral contact, a comb frame mounted for reciprocatory movement in a plane transverse to the plane of the laxes of said brushes,` a comb retaining member carried by the comb frame and yieldingly impelled into engagement with a comb mounted in the same, means for driving the brushes, operative connections between said driving means and the comb frame, and rockingly mounted release members engageable with the comb retaining member inl one position of the comb frame to release the contained comb. i Y v 2.y A comb cleaning machine comprising crosssectionally circular brushes mounted for rotary movement in substantially peripheral contact, a comb frame mounted for reciprocatory movement in a plane transverse to the plane v,of the axes of said brushes, a comb retaining member carried bythe comb frame and yieldingly impelled into engagement with a comb mounted in the same, driving means for the brushes, operative connections between said driving means and the comb frame, spaced rockingly mounted members normally disposed with their extremities out of the range of movement of the comb frame, and means actuated by the driving means in timed relation with the movement of the comb frame to depress the extremities of the rockingly mounted members into engagement with the retaining member to effect release of a contained comb from the comb frame.

3. A comb-cleaning machine comprising crosssectionally circular brushes mounted for rotary .movement in substantially peripheral? contact,

.nections between said driving means andthe comb carrying frame, said operative connections comprising.. a drivenmember operatively connect- .ed with the comby frame, a drive pinion operatively connected with the driving means, and a pair of gearscarried by the driven member and in mesh with said pinion, one of said gears being iixe'dtosaiddriven member and the other having a floating connection on the'same but a pin and slot connection with the rst gear, both of said gears having angularly spaced peripheral zones from which the teeth are removed, and being provided with restraining means to hold themr stationaryv during the intervals their untoothed zones face the pinion.

4; A comb .cleaning machine Acomprising crosssectionally circular brushes mounted for rotary movement in substantially peripheral Contact, a

fluid container open at the top and having said brushes disposed adjacent the open side, a reciprocatory comb carrying frame mounted for movement in a plane transverse to the plane of the axes of said brushes to pass a contained comb between the brushes and into the container, driving` means for. the brushes, and operative 'connections between said driving means and the comb carrying frame, said operative connections comprising adriven member operatively connectedwith the. comb frame, a drive pinion operatively connected with the driving means, and a pair of gears carried by the driven member and inmesh with said pinion, one of said gears being xed to said driven member and the other having a floating connection on the same but a pin and slot connection with the first gear, both of said gears having angularly spaced peripheral zones from which the teeth are removed, and friction restraining means comprising friction members carried by both for the driven member and for the floating gear and stationary friction bands embracing said members. u

5. A comb cleaning machine comprising crosssectionally circular brushes in substantially peripheral contact, a comb carrying frame mormted for reciprocatory movement in a plane transverse to the plane of the axes of said brushes, means for releasably supporting a comb in said frame, means for releasing a contained comb in one positionfof the frame,.a lluid container into which the frameis moved and withdrawn, and a drying housing into which the contained comb is cast when released from said frame.

6. A'comb cleaning machine comprisingcrosssectionally circular brushes in substantially peripheral contact, a comb carrying frame mounted for reciprocatory movement in a plane rtransverse to the plane of the axes of said brushes, means for releasably supporting a comb in-said frame, means forreleasing a, contained comb in one position of the frame, a fluid container into which the frame is moved and withdrawn, and a drying housing into which the containedcomb is cast when released fromsaid frame, driving means for said brushes, and operative connections between said driving means and said comb carrying frame.

7. A comb cleaning machine comprising crosssectionally circular brushes in 'substantially peripheral contact,driving means for said brushes, a comb carrying frame mounted for reciprocatory movement in a plane transverse to the plane of the axes of said brushes, operative connections between .the driving means and the comb carrying frame vto move a contained comb between the brushes and withdraw it from between the same, a saddle bar mounted in the comb-carrying frame to retain a comb in position therein, release members for said saddle bar, operatively connected with the driving means, and a cast-on member mounted on the comb carrying frame and active to cast a contained comb therefrom whenthe saddle bar is actuated by the release members.

8. A comb cleaning machine comprising crosssectionally circular brushes in substantially peripheral contact, driving means for' said brushes, a comb carrying frame mounted for reciprocatory movement in a plane transverse to the plane of the axes of said brushes, operative connections between the driving means and the comb carrying frame to move a contained comb between the brushes and withdraw it from between the same, a saddle bar mounted in the comb carrying frame to retain a comb in position therein, release members for said saddlel bar, operatively connected with the driving means, and a cast-off member mounted on the comb carrying 4frame, and active to cast a contained comb therefrom. when the saddle bar is actuated by the release members, the release members comprising rockingly mounted arms with the nose portions disposed out of the range of movement of the saddle barl and having a tie bar connecting their tail` portions,

and the operative connections between the driving means and said release members comprising arms mounted for rotation in synchronism and a bar spanning their extremities and engageable periodically'with the tail portions of the release arms.

EDWARD J. CHARBON.V LILLIE G. CHARBON. 

